Monica Bhide

You can even get it bottled now in the US I believe. Let me see if I can find the brands

I have savoured this dish and adore it. Ofcourse the sugarcane juice is something entirely different.. I saw flies being crushed with the sugarcane as the guy turned the wheel on his juicer.. so did not try that on the street!!

Really???? No oysters eaters in this forum????

"rude food" published may 1 2004. My Dad has been sending me Vir's articles for a long time. I have a huge collection in a binder.. so maybe I have the book . He is a well travelled writer and writes with great authority. I always enjoy reading his pieces

i must the only one in the world who does not like khari biscuits. So is no one sending me the Nilgiri ones

Bague25 - I would love for you to start a separate thread on these

I dont seem to recall cooking shark with Indian spices... have folks tried it? Does it take spices well?

You get lump charcoal in India. You get a kind of hand-made charcoal briquettes as well (wet coal powder, form lumps with hand, dry them). Never seen anything pre-laced with kerosene. I dont know Scott what they were using as fuel. I can find out. Like Bong I have not seen anything prelaced with kerosene or if it was there I have not noticed it

We took some friends to dinner at Zola on Saturday night... the experience was not fun to say the least. Our dinner arrived in 5 minutes of ordering.. even before the cocktails. The cocktails showed up half way thru the dinner. The waiter was apologetic... It just killed the evening - we were seeing these folks after a while and had intended on sitting and chatting before dinner. I know its not a big deal but for such an expensive restaurant.. these kinds of gaffes are not forgivable. Am I being too picky??

Sorry - I am still on vacation! Should be back in the forums full speed by next Monday

Scott- I use a bit of color for mine. Its only a drop or two.. perhaps I am too big of a risk taker I owe you a recipe my dear and you will have an authentic one on Monday. i am working on a speech on modern Indian cooking that i get to deliver at the French Embassy on Sat.. I am nervous.. please send positive vibes my way.

Has anyone tried this? I am curious to know what you think.... Tandoori Oysters -- From Cooking Light 1 cup plain fat-free yogurt,divided 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped seeded jalapeño pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons olive oil 2 teaspoons mustard seeds 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon curry powder 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper 24 shucked oysters 2 cups hot cooked basmati rice Cilantro sprigs (optional) Combine 1/4 cup yogurt, chopped cilantro, jalapeño, and salt in a blender; process until smooth. Add 3/4 cup yogurt; process until just blended. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mustard seeds and next 4 ingredients (mustard seeds through red pepper); sauté for 1 minute. Stir in oysters; sauté 4 minutes or until edges of oysters curl. Remove from heat; stir in the yogurt sauce. Serve over rice. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 6 oysters, 1/4 cup sauce, and 1/2 cup rice) Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2001

One word - GORGEOUS

Savita - welcome to the India board. So sorry it took a while for me to welcome you, I have been out. Where are you posting from? I am glad that you found this post interesting enough to finally come out of the lurking shadows!! Welcome - look forward to many more posts from you.

DCfoodie talks about the Indian street food dinner

I find that pre-packaged ghee has a lighter flavor than homemade ghee. So, it makes perfect sense to use it in place of clarified butter, but ghee can often have a much stronger flavor. There may be times where the strong flavor of ghee might be overpowering in a French type dish. What do you think Monica? I have only done French Indian so my opinion is biased. The store bought jars are milder so I am assuming it should be okay

Hmm.. interesting perspective. I have always known Ghee to have a nutty flavor. Perhaps our description of nutty is different somehow?

People use Ghee as a condiment and for cooking. i like to add a spoonful to steamed rice before I eat it. The India forum has had many discussions on this very topic

In all the kitchens I have seen and in the home tandoor cousins have back in India.. they use charcoal. i have not seen woodburing in them.. although I know that for every truism in India there is another truism that is directly the opposite

Jennyuptown - I recently did a piece on the best Indian in DC for Washingtonian Magazine. The piece is online and you can see it here -- Beyond Tandoori Mongo - Please continue.. I am really enjoying your interesting blog.

I did capture.. but thanks to no flash.. we can barely see folks. Let me see if I can post them anyway

lets go!!!! Once people have digested this meal that is

the mackerel does look great! I dont care for the fish's head though.. i am told it is the best part of the fish.

Thanks for that Don. If only you had sprung for the marijuana that is traditional in the drink that was offered, we would have had an even better time. Oh well. *** This is not to be construed as saying that Passage to India would ever serve this with marijuana, just that it is traditionally served this way in India. Who says he didnt